A drive-through, or drive-thru, is a type of service provided by a business that allows customers to purchase products without leaving their cars. Orders are generally placed using a microphone and picked up in person at the window. In a drive-thru, cars create a line and move in one direction through a drive-thru lane. Drive-thrus are now found in the vast majority of modern American fast-food chains and also are prominently found in suburban banks.
A typical drive-thru has a number of different components and features that make the consumer's purchasing decision easy and efficient from the time the consumer's car enters the drive-thru to the time that the car leaves the drive-thru. For example, directional signs direct the consumer's car to the drive-thru lane. At some drive-thrus, a presell board is provided and represents the first opportunity to influence and educate the consumer on the offerings. A clearance bar or the like can be provided to warn vehicles that are too large to exit the lane.
A speaker post is provided and contains a speaker and a microphone connected to a communication base system or to an order verification display (OVD) and/or an order confirmation board (OCB). In some designs, the OVD and speaker post can be integrated. A main menu board and other signage, such as manager's specials, are provided in close proximity to the speaker post and list the offerings. This speaker post can be broadly thought of as being a point of purchase interface.
It is desirable to provide a means for increasing the amount of signage at a point of purchase interface.